


What This Could Mean

by cassiopeiasara



Series: Infinite Playlist of Ships [12]
Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: 5 Times, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 18:02:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7542547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassiopeiasara/pseuds/cassiopeiasara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times Michaela is sure she’ll be caught and the one time she forgets to care.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What This Could Mean

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This was written in response to michaelmarionshaw's song prompt "going to hell" by Miguel. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters and seek no profit. No beta on this one so all mistakes are my own.

I.

She can’t seem to calm down as Laurel crouches in front of her, begging her to focus. All she can seem to think is that  _this is it_ , this is when it all comes crashing down and everything she’s worked hard for won’t matter because she’s about to lose it all. Laurel is mostly a blur in front of her and though she can’t seem to see her or hear her, she knows without a doubt that Laurel’s the one there. There are voices tripping over one another and she wants to beg them to leave her here. This is her fate. This is the natural end to the chaos of the last few months. Michaela has never so much as cheated on a test and  _now_ , now she’ll be a convicted murderer. 

Her heart is still racing but the blur in front of her starts to sharpen. She notices that while Laurel’s movement is frantic, her eyes are gentle. It tugs a little at Michaela’s heart and she thinks maybe this is why she saved a woman she’s not even sure she likes on most days. 

“Everything is going to be ok,” is what she’s able to make out from the movement of Laurel’s lips. When Laurel says it a second time, she can finally hear it soft and clear. She believes it for as long as it takes to leave the house. 

Michaela continues to freak out when it takes Wes too long to return, when Laurel’s phone rings in the woods and when any one of the heinous acts they commit leave a break in the air, a lull in conversation. Her mind continues to whisper,  _this is it_. 

Laurel seeks her out time and again, trying to reassure her that it’ll all be fine and this really won’t end in Michaela’s worse nightmare. The promises are hollow and it doesn’t do much to help most of the time but it grounds her in a way she can’t quite explain. She doesn’t question Laurel when she offers to stay with her that night, she just slides into bed trying to let Laurel’s continued reassurances lull her to sleep.

II.

Michaela’s never been one to cut corners but if she’s learned anything from working with Annalise, it’s that no one is fully innocent. In more cases than not, the rules must be bent if not just completely disregarded. Her eyes scan the hallway as Laurel picks the lock to the doctor’s office. There’s a clatter somewhere down the hall as the lock clicks open, Michaela can’t help the whispered “shit” that escapes her mouth. Laurel pulls her into the office before they can investigate the noise that spooked her.

She drops Michaela’s arm as she locks the door behind them. “Are you even capable of keeping your mouth shut for 5 minutes?”

“Yes,” scoffs Michaela as Laurel rolls her eyes and starts to rummage through the office, seeking out the files they came for.

The noise must be nothing since there’s not another one in the fifteen minutes that follow their entrance into the office. Michaela lets her shoulders relax a little and joins Laurel in her search. The silence gets to her after about ten minutes because Laurel is right, it is hard for her to stop talking. 

“Where did you learn to pick a lock?”

Laurel’s head pops up from behind the main desk and she narrows her eyebrows for a moment before replying, “Why? You want me to teach you or something?”

Michaela shrugs. “Just making conversation.” The truth is, she’s been insanely curious about Laurel’s life ever since she stopped being so quiet and mousy, becoming the woman who is up for anything. 

“Got it, ” Laurel comments a few minutes later and Michaela resists the urge throw her a thumbs up or something equally congratulatory. The problem is they’re not exactly friends yet and while Michaela would never say Laurel isn’t worthy of praise, she can’t help but feel threatened by her still. She turns to head out of the office but stops as they hear a key start to turn the lock.

Laurel gestures to where she stands. “Get over here,” she whispers urgently.

Michaela runs and crouches under the desk with her. She wants to point out that the hiding place is not only completely obvious but if they have to be here for too long, one of them is bound to get a cramp and cry out in pain. 

She thinks  _this is it_  again, the familiar refrain that is frighteningly common for her these past few months. She knows there can only be so many times they escape getting caught. Their time must be up. She almost sighs, resigned to her fate, but never releases her breath since Laurel’s hand flies to Michaela’s mouth. Michaela rolls her eyes in response, grateful she resisted the urge to praise her insufferable companion earlier.  

“Damn,” the person whispers before heading back out of the office and locking up behind them. They wait five minutes before Laurel leans out and declares the office clear.

Michaela jumps up from their hiding place and straightens her skirt. “Were you a spy in a past life or something?”

“I’d rule out a career as a mystery novelist for you, Michaela. You always go for the obvious.”

When they leave, Michaela is still not entirely convinced her guess is wrong.

III.

She’s never been late to class  _ever_. Then again, she’s never been this hungover either.  She shifts her sunglasses as Laurel presses a hand against her arm to stop her from walking in. Professor Ramos is old and her eyesight is not the best so if they’re going to walk into a class late, this is the best bet. Laurel sees whatever opening she was waiting for and they creep into the back of the classroom, trying not to make too much noise. When the professor turns, they have their notebooks out and no one would guess they hadn’t been there.

Michaela’s breath catches though when she sees the professor. It would be just her luck that the one time she’s late to a safe class, there’s a sub. He squints in her direction and she tries her best to not appear suspicious. 

She fails apparently since he gestures in their direction and asks, “The two ladies in the back, could you tell me why the case at hand is relevant to statutes on evidence collection procedures?”  _Fuck, this is it_. 

Before Michaela confesses that she has no idea what they’re discussing, Laurel answers with what is apparently a right answer. Michaela has never been so grateful for her quick thinking. 

She wonders what she’s done right for such impressive luck. It obviously cannot last.

IV.

“Why? Cause you’re afraid to have feelings?” There’s something in the way Laurel looks at her then that convinces her she might know. If there’s one person she can’t ever seem to hide from, it’s Laurel.

“Around you people? Yes.” Michaela swallows hard after responding and trains her eyes forward.

She can still feel Laurel’s eyes on her and she does her best to keep her breathing under control. Michaela is a little confused lately. It would seem her heart has decided that the appropriate response to gazes, like the one Laurel is currently giving her, is to flutter. Michaela can’t quell the urge to get to know Laurel better or stop herself from gazing a little too long during their study sessions. She thinks this is the moment it will all come spilling out. Here in this stupid car with these ridiculous fools that she constantly wishes she’s never met and yet can’t help but be grateful for since it means she’s not alone. 

She prepares herself for the mocking she’s sure will come out of Laurel’s mouth. The self righteous ‘I caught you’ tone she’ll use but it doesn’t come. Laurel turns away from Michaela and they’re all on a different topic.

Michaela lets out a slow breath and glances quickly at Laurel’s concentrated profile. She wonders if there’s a chance under all that new confidence Laurel built up in the last few months, a little bit of fear lurks too.

V.

She shouldn’t be snooping. Her grandmother always warned her how much trouble the action might cause her but she can’t help the innate curiosity she’s never been able to shake. 

So when Annalise and Eve sneak away to talk privately, Michaela can’t help the urge to follow and listen at the door. The others are chatting about their new case and she’s slipped out under the guise of going to the bathroom. She strains to hear the two women since they’ve decided to whisper at a volume only dogs can hear. She catches the unmistakable sound of a quiet sigh and what might constitute kissing.  _Well that’s unexpected_.

There’s a quiet creak in the floorboard and Michaela can hear her grandmother tsk at her in her head. Her panicked brown eyes meet curious blue ones and Michaela holds her finger to her lips in a desperate attempt to assure that the other woman remains quiet.

Laurel scoffs quietly and joins Michaela in her snooping. It’s not long before there’s shifting behind the door and Michaela hears not only a tsk but also  _I told you baby_  in her grandmother’s soft Louisiana accent. It takes a minute to realize she’s being pulled behind the staircase before the door opens revealing the two women a bit more disheveled than they were before they’d gone to chat. Luckily, they miss Michaela and Laurel huddled in the corner.

When they’re out of earshot, Laurel turns to Michaela with an inquisitive brow. “What were you doing?” 

“I wanted to see if there was any more information about Caleb but I didn’t mean to-”

“To what?”

Michaela leaned forward as if she were sharing some long held secret, “I think they were kissing.”

Laurel’s eyebrows lifted slightly and she tilted her head. “Really?”

Michaela nodded.

“Well, it’s a good thing they didn’t see you because you know Annalise would have killed you.  _God_ , _Michaela_ , you are the only woman I’ve met entirely incapable of being the least bit inconspicuous.”

“Well that’s just..” She paused as she considered Laurel’s mostly unchanged demeanor. “You’re not shocked? I had no idea they might, you know…”

Laurel shakes her head. “You know you’re brilliant but you’re also incredibly oblivious. I guessed they were sleeping together weeks ago.”

“How did you-?”

“Are you two coming back or are you too busy making out behind the staircase?” asks Connor as he peeks in at them from around the corner. 

“Can I watch?” Asher’s head pops in behind him.

Laurel rolls her eyes and Michaela punches Asher in the arm for good measure.

* * *

Normally she’s more concerned that she’s not prepared to answer her door five minutes before expecting company but she’s a little distracted at the moment. Laurel’s mouth moves from Michaela’s mouth to her ear and it’s a little terrifying how Laurel knows exactly where to pull on her earlobe to get her to squeak in that way she hates but she can never control. Laurel smiles against her skin at the sound and Michaela doesn’t care as much as she usually does.

When Laurel’s hand finds its way up the back of Michaela’s shirt, the door opens and Connor lets out a low whistle. 

Michaela attempts to spring apart but Laurel’s arms keep her in a loose embrace. Michaela relaxes a little at Laurel’s wink.  

Connor waggles his eyebrows before turning to Oliver, “You owe me ten bucks.”

Laurel narrows her eyes at the two of them but her tone is light when she asks, “you were betting on us?”

Oliver adjusted his glasses, “To be fair, we were just betting when we’d catch you.”

Michaela pins him with a glare and he shrugs, offering up the box in his hand, “Pizza?”

Laurel squeezes Michaela before grabbing the box. “We get extra breadsticks for your meddling.”

Connor nods. “Fair.”

They move to settle on the couch and place the box on Michaela’s coffee table. 

“Hey, are you joining us any time soon?” jokes Laurel but her eyes ask if she’s ok. 

Michaela smiles and settles next to her. She figures if this is the first time she’s caught, at least she’s with Laurel.


End file.
